ABC/Jeff NeiraToday, March 20, is the late Chester Bennington‘s birthday. The Linkin Park frontman meant a lot to a lot of people, including longtime friend and former band mate Sean Dowdell, who played with Bennington in the group Grey Daze. Beyond his personal relationships, though, Dowdell feels that Bennington had an uncanny ability to connect to his fans through his music.
“He was very good at being able to express himself through his lyrics and through his melodies,” Dowdell tells ABC Audio of Bennington.
“There would be the listener, and the listener may not understand whatever pain or emotional they’re going through, but they could listen to Chester sing, and they could pinpoint that and go, ‘That is what I feel,'” he explains. “They gave him an outlet to express the way they were feeling through his expression, vocally.”
Dowdell feels that skill is very rare, and thinks that Bennington shares it with some of the greats of rock history, including Queen icon Freddie Mercury.
“It only comes around every couple of decades,” Dowdell says. “You had guys like Freddie Mercury that could pull it off, and I think Chester was that [kind of singer for] this generation.”
Dowdell hopes to continue Bennington’s legacy with Amends, a new Grey Daze album featuring re-recorded instrumentals of the group’s early material, combined with Chester’s original vocal takes.
“He had a very special gift,” Dowdell says. “I feel like bringing these songs to life again is giving back to his community again.”
Amends will be released April 10.
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